Alert system for an unmanned aerial vehicle

• US 10,040,552 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2016
• Issued: 08/07/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Gordon, Michael S., Pickover, Clifford A., Vukovic, Maja
• Primary Examiner(s): BUTLER, RODNEY ALLEN
• Application Number:
  US15/148,628
• Publication Number:
  US 20170320569A1
• Time in Patent Office: 823 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/302 Cooling of charging equipment
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/80 Exchanging energy storage elements, e.g. removable batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 47/08 Arrangements of cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 9/003 Devices for retaining pallets or freight containers securing freight containers on vehicles B60P7/00
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/60 for transporting passengers; for transporting goods other than weapons
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/64 for parcel delivery or retrieval
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/11 using internal combustion piston engines
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/19 using electrically powered motors
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/101 specially adapted for aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/106 Change initiated in response to external conditions, e.g. avoidance of elevated terrain or of no-fly zones
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0832 Special goods or special handling procedures, e.g. handling of hazardous or fragile goods
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

An unmanned aerial vehicle for aerial transportation of delivery items. The unmanned aerial vehicle includes an attachment device to fasten and unfasten one or more delivery items to the unmanned aerial vehicle, a motor to aerially transport the one or more delivery items along a delivery route, a sensor mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle to detect at least one environmental variable during the delivery route, and an alert system to generate a status associated with the unmanned aerial vehicle along the delivery route to an observer when the environmental variable exceeds a predetermined threshold.

Claims

1. An unmanned aerial vehicle for aerial transportation of delivery items, the unmanned aerial vehicle comprising:

at least one attachment device to fasten and unfasten one or more delivery items to the unmanned aerial vehicle;

at least one motor to aerially transport the one or more delivery items along a delivery route;

at least one sensor mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle to detect at least one environmental variable during the delivery route; and

an alert system, including a risk analysis device, configured to generate a status associated with the unmanned aerial vehicle along the delivery route to at least one observer when the at least one environmental variable exceeds a predetermined threshold, wherein the status includes a risk level to the one or more delivery items.

2. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the status is selected from the group consisting of one or more visual displays, acoustic signals, and electronic signals.

3. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the alert system is selected from the group consisting of a display device, a light display, an illuminated color display, a digital timer, a clock, a speaker device, and a transceiver.

4. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the status is further selected from the group consisting of temperatures traversed, a level of turbulence traversed, a percentage of delivery completion, a total amount of travel time, an estimated delivery time, a value of the one or more delivery items, a power supply level of the unmanned aerial vehicle, directional movement of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and a tilt orientation of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

5. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the alert system is further configured to:

indicate a power supply level of the unmanned aerial vehicle when the power supply level depletes below a threshold; and

receive location coordinates of a secondary device where the power supply level is to be replaced or recharged, wherein the secondary device includes a user device, a secondary drone, or base station configured to provide power supply recharging or power supply replacement.

6. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 3, wherein the at least one environmental variable is selected from the group consisting of one or more traversed temperatures, amount of traversed turbulence, and tilt orientation of the unmanned aerial vehicle along the delivery route.

7. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, wherein the risk analysis device evaluates the risk level to the one or more delivery items when the at least one environmental variable exceeds the predetermined threshold, wherein the status includes an indication that the one or more delivery items requires immediate attention based on the risk level.

8. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 7, further comprising a value adjustment device configured to adjust a value of the one or more delivery items depending on the risk level to the one or more delivery items.

9. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 1, further comprising an authentication unit to authenticate recipient information upon delivery of the one or more delivery items, wherein the one or more delivery items remains fastened to the unmanned aerial vehicle until authentication is confirmed.

10. A method for aerial transportation of delivery items using an unmanned aerial vehicle, the method comprising:

attaching one or more delivery items to the unmanned aerial vehicle;

aerially transporting the one or more delivery items along a delivery route;

detecting, using at least one sensor mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle, at least one environmental variable during the delivery route; and

generating, by evaluating the risk level to the one or more delivery items, a status associated with the unmanned aerial vehicle along the delivery route to at least one observer when the at least one environmental variable exceeds a predetermined threshold, wherein the status includes a risk level to the one or more delivery items.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the status is further selected from the group consisting of temperatures traversed, a level of turbulence traversed, a percentage of delivery completion, a total amount of travel time, an estimated delivery time, a value of the one or more delivery items, a power supply level of the unmanned aerial vehicle, directional movement of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and a tilt orientation of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein generating the status associated with the unmanned aerial vehicle further includes:

indicating a power supply level of the unmanned aerial vehicle when the power supply level depletes below a threshold; and

receiving location coordinates of a secondary device where the power supply level is to be replaced or recharged, wherein the secondary device includes a user device, a secondary drone, or base station configured to provide power supply recharging or power supply replacement.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one environmental variable is selected from the group consisting of one or more traversed temperatures, amount of traversed turbulence, and tilt orientation of the unmanned aerial vehicle along the delivery route.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein generating the status associated with the unmanned aerial vehicle includes indicating that the one or more delivery items requires immediate attention based on the risk level.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein generating the status associated with the unmanned aerial vehicle includes adjusting a value of the one or more delivery items depending on the risk level to the one or more delivery items.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein generating the status associated with the unmanned aerial vehicle includes authenticating recipient information upon delivery of the one or more delivery items, wherein the one or more delivery items remains fastened to the unmanned aerial vehicle until authentication is confirmed.

17. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising a computer readable program for aerial transportation of delivery items using an unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to execute:

attaching one or more delivery items to the unmanned aerial vehicle;

aerially transporting the one or more delivery items along a delivery route;

detecting, using at least one sensor mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle, at least one environmental variable during the delivery route; and

generating, by evaluating the risk level to the one or more delivery items, a status associated with the unmanned aerial vehicle along the delivery route to at least one observer when the at least one environmental variable exceeds a predetermined threshold, wherein the status includes a risk level to the one or more delivery items.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the status is further selected from the group consisting of temperatures traversed, a level of turbulence traversed, a percentage of delivery completion, a total amount of travel time, an estimated delivery time, a value of the one or more delivery items, a power supply level of the unmanned aerial vehicle, directional movement of the unmanned aerial vehicle, a tilt orientation of the unmanned aerial vehicle, or combination thereof.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein generating the status associated with the unmanned aerial vehicle includes

indicating that the one or more delivery items requires immediate attention based on the risk level.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein generating the status associated with the unmanned aerial vehicle includes adjusting the value of the one or more delivery items depending on the risk level to the one or more delivery items.